Don Daugherty has seen many disastrous situations, from flooding to fire. But nothing compares to the devastation left by Hurricane Sandy, he said by phone from New York City.

“This by far exceeds anything I’ve been involved in to date,” said Daugherty.

To date, he has lent a hand to residents of Thunder Bay, Ont., after flooding this summer, to residents of Peterborough, Ont., in 2004 after flooding and to residents of Dryden, Ont., in 2011 after a forest fire forced people out of their homes.

This is all through the Canadian Red Cross, where Daugherty has been a volunteer for more than 10 years.

Daugherty joined the call for volunteers to help in the 10 U.S. states affected by Sandy.

Forty Canadian volunteers have joined the nearly 6,000 Red Cross volunteers.

Daugherty is working as an emergency trainer, greeting new volunteers, introducing them as to the damage and the progress of relief efforts.

So far, their efforts have seen 7,900 “spontaneous volunteers” walk off the streets and lend a hand.

“It’s certainly much larger than anything I’ve been part of,” he said.

Their help is welcome, as the devastation of Sandy is larger than many expected.

“I couldn’t even believe the damage that I was seeing,” said Daugherty of the view from nearby Rockaway Park. “It’s like your brain refuses to process the damage you are seeing. It’s unbelievable.”

He described the scene as “houses beat to matchsticks,” with some pushed off their foundations, and for others it was just the foundation that remained.

“It’s 120 miles of coastline that was impacted,” he said. And while the water has receded, “it’s devastation beyond comparison.”

The damage has eclipsed Hurricane Katrina, said Daugherty..

While most in the area have power back, some 20,000 are still off the grid, Daugherty said, because their homes – or their neighbours’ homes – remain too damaged to connect without risk of fire.

Volunteers, meanwhile, try to reach these people and others with hot meals each day. In some cases, those without power can’t cook their own meals. In other cases, grocery stores no longer exist to provide food for dinners.

The American Red Cross has 320 vehicles driving the streets, with another 1,400 agencies helping out up and down the eastern seaboard. They have served some 6.4 million meals and snacks, Daugherty said.

Damage from the hurricane is estimated at $50 billion U.S.

Daugherty’s effort will see him in New York until Nov. 30, rounding out three weeks lending a hand. That is three weeks of extra vacation time, that his employer – the city of Cornwall – was happy to give him.

Daugherty works as a case manger for the social services department, and has told the Standard-Freeholder he keeps a few weeks of vacation each year to help out with the Red Cross where needed.

“I just like to help people,” he said. “My parents always said ‘If you can help, help’.”

“It’s great that we are able to assist our U.S. neighbours and support our employee through this form of mutual aid between the Canadian and American Red Cross societies,” said his manager, Debora Daigle. “This real-life experience will assist us with our own emergency planning efforts.”

But the efforts in New York will continue long after he’s gone, with new volunteers rotating in and out every two to three weeks. ’s an intensely well-oiled machine,” he said.